Because they're running out of card games to show, GSN decides
to take a perimutual approach to reality TV and give one of
twelve people the chance to not only win $250,000 but a stable
of eight racehorses! It's the American Dream Derby from Santa
Anita Park! Place your bets and get to the post because...
THEY'RE OFF!

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Episode 2 - January
10

Previously on AMERICAN DREAM DERBY,
Susan won the first Owner's Challenge and picked David,
Tara W. and Aaron to join her in the mansion. Levar won
the Stablehand Challenge by digging through "muck".
David and Deanna were picked to go through the Guts
Match, but it was David who was sent packing when his
horse stumbled at the start.

It's morning at Santa Anita and the eleven left are a
little bummer that David is history but look forward to
trying to get into the mansion as an Owner today. They
talk with trainer Alex Hassinger about the Guts
Challenge yesterday and how the Owners' horse would've
won had it not stumbled. Deanna was saying to the
Stablehands that she prayed to her grandfather and uncle
and that THEY tripped the horse. Of course, the fact
that she's in a heavy lead makes her a marked woman. And
several other players are targets as well - Dean for
betting against the Stablehands' horse, Tara for being
too loud and Levar for being too much of a threat.

After a healthy breakfast, the eleven go out onto the
track for the Owner's Challenge which
will decide who goes to the mansion for the next few
days. The winner gets $1000 added to his/her cash card
and gets to choose three housemates.

Host Steve Santagati tells them that THIS Challenge will
be about speed. But not the HORSES' speed. I'm talking
the PLAYERS' speed. Each person starts by running a
half-furlong (110 yards or close to 100 meters) and
being timed. One-by-one, they go into the starting gate
and sprint. Their times:

AARON - 15.22 seconds

DEANNA - 17.97

SARA - 19.75

SUSAN - 22.32

TARA C - 19.62

LEVAR - 14.25

TARA W - 18.38

CHRIS - 13.43

JEWEL - 23.16

ERIC - 14.03

DEAN - 18.38

So Chris has the fastest
time... but... the Challenge isn't over yet. You see,
this wasn't exactly a fair race... and horse racing is
all about having horses who are equally matched. There
was a man named John who asked questions about the
players' fitness regiment and their shape and diet. It
turns out that John is a pro handicapper... and he's
responcible for evening out horse races by putting
weights on horses. That's what'll happen here; each
player will get weights added to their waists and
they'll all run at the same time, with the first to
cross the finish line becoming the Lead Owner. The
weights:

CHRIS - 120 lbs

TARA C - 15 lbs

LEVAR - 100 lbs

TARA W - 15 lbs

ERIC - 100 lbs

SARA - 10 lbs

AARON - 90 lbs

SUSAN - 0 lbs

DEANNA - 30 lbs

JEWEL - 0 lbs

DEAN - 20 lbs

Of course, EVERYONE
complains about the weight they put on. They enter the
starting gate...they're at the post...annnnnnnnnnnnd
they're off! And it's Susie and Jewel with no weight
aside of their own bulk going into the lead, but Tara C.
and Karen are coming up on the inside. But HERE COMES
Eric, hauling that 100 pounds of dead weight to go with
his 150 pounds of deader weight! Dave comes out of the
backfield, bad knees and all...and it's DEAN by a body
length over Eric! Dean gets the grand and the choice of
housemates to give $500 to each. Dean chooses Jewel
(after she all but threatens him), Levar and Chris. They
go to the mansion each for the first time...and the
rest, including the Owners from the last two days, get
to sleep in the stables tonight.

CURRENT STANDINGS

1

DEANNA

$6060

2

JEWEL

$1750

3

CHRIS

$1722

4

LEVAR

$1500

5

SUSAN

$1490

6

DEAN

$1324

7

ERIC

$1237

8

SARA

$950

9

TARA W

$830

10

AARON

$325

11

TARA C

$160

Aaron took going to the
stables with a grain of oats. He looked upon it as an
oppotunity to learn from Deanna about what makes HER
such a good handicapper. Susan is in heaven and ALSO
learns from Deanna. Meanwhile, the Owners down a nice
meal in the clubhouse and talk up about the other
Stablehands they left behind. Jewel isn't in any
"alliances" yet, stating she's getting info about and
from everybody for now.

The next day, in the "walking ring" where the jockeys
mount their horses en route to the track, both Owners
and Stablehands get information about the horses they
have to pick from. Most of the info is about breeding,
ages, colors and markings.

Steve hopes they were paying attention because there's
going to be a quiz. It's another Stablehand
Challenge to decide a Lead Stablehand. They're
going to see three of the horses and must get the right
nameplate for them. The CATCH is...the nameplates are in
a troth of cooked oats... and they have to use their
MOUTHS to get them out! They must hang the right
nameplates on the right stall in the fastest time.
Whoever does that wins. And, of course, the Owners get
to bet up to $500 on who they think will win.

The horses brought in are
#7 Kool Smoke, #1
Regal Cruiser and
#2 Sharp As A Fox. Tara C. will start
off. She bobs for the nameplates and gets the three of
them in position as the Owners cheer her on. She hits
the button and finds she has them all right! And in only
1 minute, 11 seconds, too! Sara has to beat that
time...and she does, doing it in a mere 58 seconds!

Tara W. is next. She gets Sharp as a Fox right but
thinks Kool Smoke is Lauren's Halo...at first. She
corrects it...but she misses hitting the button by one
second. Eric is next and he screws up Regal Cruiser and
Kool Smoke, which cost him enough time to lose.

Next is former Lead Owner Susan... but her short stature
makes it hard for her to lean down and find the
nametags. She manages to get ONE on its post...but time
runs out quickly after that. Deanna attacks it next.
You'd think she knows the horses well enough by
now...but she gets one wrong.

It's all down to Aaron to beat 58 seconds and knock Sara
off her perch. He gets Regal Cruiser right...she gets
Kool Smoke right...he gets Sharp as a Fox right...he
hits the button...and he WINS in 53 seconds! Aaron's the
new Lead Stablehand!

Now the BAD news. The Owners all LOST money on Aaron.
Chris bet $222 on Tara W. (dropping him to $1500), Dean
bet $400 on Tara C. (putting HIM at $924), Levar dropped
$250 on Tara C. (down to $1250) and Jewel lost $425 on
Tara C. as well ($1325). The Taras blew it for them...
but at least they have a nice mansion to live in for the
night. At said mansion, Dean actually ASKS the other
three if they WANT to go to the Guts Match... and they
all said no. So he has to do "what's best for Dean".

At the stables, Deanna KNOWS she's the target by
Aaron... and she and the other two-time Stablehands get
together to talk about which horse Deanna should take at
the Guts Match. Aaron seems to be building two different
alliances amid the Stablehands: one to pick Deanna and
one NOT to. He's not sure WHO he's going to pick.

The next day, at the Santa Anita Chandelier Room, it's
time for Guts and Glory Ceremony, the
selection process for the Guts Match. For the Owners,
Dean nominates Jewel because where she is in the
standings. For the Stablehands, Aaron chooses Deanna
again because of her knowledge.

The two now may ask Alex one question about one horse.
Jewel HAS no questions for Alex. But Deanna asks about
Free To Please winning his first race.

And now the choices: Jewel picks #11 Shoot Yeah. No
reason...just likes the greatgrandson of Secretariat.
And Deanna goes with #7
Kool Smoke, the 5-year-old gelding.
Aaron manipulated Deanna into taking up the yoke...and
Deanna KNOWS it.

It's the "Call to the Post" with Jewel and Deanna
putting their game life on the chopping block in
Guts Match. The two horses will race 2 furlongs
(1/4 mile) in a straight line on the front stretch of
the track. The winning horse nets its picker $5000 and
keeps them alive. The picker of the LOSING horse... is
"scratched". The other can bet up to $500 with even odds
for whichever horse they think will win. The wagers:

DEAN - $220 on #7

CHRIS - $250 on #11

SARA - $150 on #11

AARON - $100 on #7

TARA W - $500 on #7

SUSAN - $500 on #7

ERIC - $500 on #7

TARA C - $160 on #7

LEVAR - $500 on #11

Jewel thinks Dean's lost
his integrity by giving her ONE kind of advice on horses
and then choosing the OTHER. Chris hopes to have an
alliance with Jewel once this is over. Aaron thinks it's
win-win; either he's in a semi-alliance with Deanna...
or his greatest rival is gone!

The horses are in the gate...and it's Post Time!

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd they're off! And DOWN THE STRETCH
THEY COME! They bump at the start, but it's Kool Smoke
on the inside feeling the whip and picking up the pace.
Shoot Yeah is in hot pursuit. but it looks like the
winner...

...is #7 Kool Smoke
by two lengths! Deanna earns ANOTHER $5000! Everyone but
Sara, Levar and Chris win some more money!

And, unfortunately, Jewel is "scratched" from the game.
She says her good-byes and slumps away. And Deanna? She
has a HUGE lead... and is considered "one lucky b*tch"
by the others.

CURRENT STANDINGS

1

DEANNA

$11,060

2

CHRIS

$1250

3

SUSAN

$1990

5

LEVAR

$750

6

ERIC

$1737

7

SARA

$800

8

DEAN

$1144

9

TARA W

$1330

10

AARON

$425

11

TARA C

$320

10 are left. Who will be
Owners? Who will be Stablehands? Who will be scratched
NEXT?